Flexible rail joint



Sept. 6,1927. Y

' C. A. DISBROW FLEXIBLE RAIL JOINT Filed Feb. 24, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 6

C. A. DISBROW FLEXIBLE RAIL JOINT Filed Feb. 24, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r m um. w m

' @LABZZS'GTX A. DISBRGW, 015 NEW RGCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASESIGNQR TQ TEE BAIL JQDIHI? COMPAIW, 015 NEW YQRK, IN. 321, A CORPORAEKGN @F' NEW $037K.

RAIED JQINTE.

Application filed Februar at, rear. Serial. no. 1%,698.

This invention relates to rail joints and more particularly to a joint bar having features of construction which provide increased flexibility therein, thereby enabling 6 it to more readily adapt itself to the wave motion in the rails.

To that end the invention contemplates a rail joint whose primary object is to relieve the joint bar of a continuous tight fishing W engagement or grip between the joint bar and the fishing surfaces of the rail throughout the entire length of the joint bar,.thereby amplifying or increasing the flexibility of the entire joint, and atthe same time easing the central portions of the joint her from the hending strains and leaving the same freer to take care of the shearing strains.

In the joint hars having the same ver- W tical height as the fishing surfaces of the rail, a continuous tight fit is I provided throughout the length of the bars, and therefore the hending and shearing strainsdue to the wave motion in the rails are both focused at the center of the bar. Therefore in rail joints wherein the joint bar fits the fishing space for the entire length of the joint, practically all of the bending due to approaching wheel loads occurs at the cen- 3 tral part of the bar -where the rail is in two parts. lit is the purpose of the present invention to relieve these conditions by pro-- viding a joint bar having portions only of the head and foot thereof adapted to tightly fit the fishing space of the rails at intervals, leaving intervening portions of the har free from rail engagement, thereby permitting the her especially at each side of the center to flex or hend verticallyin such a manner as to leave the center suhstantially free from hending strains.

Accordingly, the present invention has in.

view a rolled joint har shape of uniform section throughout with portions thereof deformed or deflected so'as not to engage with the rail, thereby providing for the feature of flexibility without in any way sacrificing the strength or eificiency of the joint bars under all conditions of use. In that connection the invention cpntemplates a construction wherein the original metal of the joint Sill har is preserved and distributed in such a way as to give the desired strength which could not be done if the metal ofthe original bar were cut away or removed.

till

Fig. l is a perspective view of a rail joint embodying the present improvements.

Fig. 2 isa vertical sectional view'talren on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view talren on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. '5 is a detail side elevation of'a modification of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figuresof the drawings.

.A primary feature of the present invention isto provide a rolled joint har shape with alternating rail fishing portions and I rail clearing portions while maintaining substantially the same cross-sectional area of metal for the joint barthroughout, though providing a construction wherein there is increased flexibility in the joint her because of its clearance at intervals from the-head and base fishing surfaces of therail. v

One practical form of construction e'xempl-ifying the inventionis shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings wherein the rails are designated hy the reference letters Pw-R,

each rail having the usual fishing space which includes the'head fishing surface 1 and the rail hase fishing surface 2 and within this fishing space of the two rails is adapted to be arranged the special joint bar shape contemplated by the present invention. In the emloodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the joint bar shown is of the conventionalangle bar type, designated by the reference letter 3 and including the bolting web 4, the bar head 5 and the foot flange 6, said head 5 and flange 6 respectively engaging the head and rail base fishing'surfacesl and 2 respectively.

According to the present invention the joint bar or joint bar shape is intended preferably to he rolled in the passes of an ordinary rolling mill and during that operation are subsequently formed with intermediate I deflected portions D which alternate with what may be termed the normal bar portions designated by the reference letter N -and which normal bar portions include those parts of the head 5 and the foot fiange 6 that have fishing engagement with the'rail. These intermediate deflected portions D are formed in the bar by an offsetting operation which, as stated, may-be formed possibly in the last pass of the rolling mill or subsequently formed by a separate rolling operation or by a bulldozing or pressing step that will deflect thg portions D of the bar into a new plane so that such portions of the bar will not engage any part of the rail, particularly the head and rail base flanges thereof. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 each of the intermediate deflected portions D is shown as having a depressed head member 5' which is deflected downwardly from the head fishing plane, and with an upwardly offset foot flange 6 which lies above the rail base fishing surface 2. Also in the form of the invention herein described a feature that may be utilized is to produce, longitudinally in the bolting web of the bar. a crimp or bend 7 which in the upsetting'operation is caused to rovide a bow or bend in the bolting web t at materially contributes to the gertical flexibility of that part of the joint Thus, it will be seen that inthe illustration of the invention given in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the joint bar is rovided with; an alternating normal bar section N and de-E flected bar section, D, the normal bar sec-E tion N having the usual tight or vise-like en-;, gagement with the head and base fishing surfaces while the deflected section D of the{ bar is out of contact with all parts of the; rail thus ermitting the rail wave motion more readi y to pass or run through the rail joint and also rendering the joint bar more free-to bend or flex and thereby induce the bending strains away from the tight gripping parts of the bar into the flexible parts. This is of special practical importance where the fishing engagement for a normal's'ection N of the bar is maintained at the center of. the joint as shown in Fig. 1. The practical efl'ect of-this construction is to ]provide a tight fit for the 'oint bars at e center, against the rail en s, and providing suflicient flexibility in the other portions of .the bar, toward both ends from the center, thus permitting gradual and progressive bending throughout the bar. rather than permitting the usual hinge-like bending which occurs at the center of the 'oint when the joint bars fill the fishing t roughout' their entire length.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the upsetting of the deflected sections D of the bar to result in offsetting or deflecting the head, web or flange of the bar outwardly which necessarily results in clearing all of the parts of the joint bar from the rail.

In these fi ures the normal bar section N alternates wlth the outwardly or laterally vofl'set section D which stand free and clear of the head and base fishing surfaces 1 and 2 as clearly shown in Fig; 4. This ty e of joint bar may be readily rolled in accor ance with standard ractice to meet standard fishing specifications, and then subjected to a pressing or bulldozing' operation which will deflect the selected portions thereof outwardly in such a way that the deflected portion of the bar has no contact with the rail.

vention wherein the bar is rolled to provide a comparatively large number of normal Fig. 5 is illustrative of a form of the infishing sections, andv deflected sections, to

provide for increased, flexibility'of the bar while at the same time' maintaining a tight fishing between the bars and the rail ends at the center'of the joint.

'From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention aims to provide a joint bar having a uniform section throughout its entire length, but having certain portions thereof deformed or distributed in such a way that the metal maintains the strength of the bar and yet provides alternating or spaced rail engaging portions which permit the bar to give or flex under passing wheel loads in such a way that the focusing of the "strains at any particular location is avoided. The bolts passing through the portions of ,the bar out of contact with the rail help to hold the portions of the bar that are in contact with the rail, and this together with the distribution of the flexing along the entire bar also relieves the bolts of the strains which cause them to become loose.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the'invention and scope of the appended-claims.

I claim 1. A rail joint including a joint bar provided with a normal section having head and foot fishing enga ement with the rail fishing surfaces and a eflected section offset-from the plane. of the normal section to provide 1 clearance from all parts of the rail. v

2. A rail joint including a joint bar provided with a normal section havin head and foot fishing engagement with t e rail fishing surfaces, and deflected sections ofiset from the normal sections and alternating therewith to'provide clearance from the rail.

3. A rail joint including the rails, a joint bar having portions of normal fishing height and intervening portions of less fishing height alternately arranged to provide a flexible bar of uniform section.

4. A rail joint including the rails, a joint bar of uniform section throughout having portions thereof deflected out of the plane of the normal fishing portions of the bar to provide alternating rail engaging portions.

5. A rail joint including the rails, a joint bar of uniform section throughout having the head portion thereof deformed at intervals to provide portions of less fishing height than that of the rails and portions of normal fishing height.

6. A rail joint including the rails, a joint bar of uniform section throughouthaving the foot portions thereof deformed at intervals to provide portions of less fishing height than that of the rails, and portions of nor- .mal fishing height.

7. A rail joint including the rails, a joint bar having the head, web and foot portions thereof deformed at intervals to provide alternate rail engaging and non-rail engaging portions, the medial rail en 'agin portions being arranged to engage t e rai ends at the center of the joint and the bolt holes of said bar being located both in the rail engagingand non-rail engaging portions of the 8. A rail joint including a joint bar having the-head, web and foot portions thereof deflected at intervals from the normal plane of the bar :to provide rail engaging portions of normal section and non-rail engaging portions alternating with the portions of normal section the medial rail engaging portions being arranged to engage the rail endsv at the center of the joint.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

OLARKSON A. DISBROW. 

